The God of War series is considered to be one of Sony's flagship video game properties. Kratos has long been battling it out with Nathan Drake over who is going to be the Sony version of Mario. For a while there, it seemed as if Kratos had given up the fight. God of War III was a fitting conclusion to the series and it appeared that Kratos had finally hung up his blades and was ready to retire. Now that Nathan Drake has retired as well, the PlayStation flagship character title was being fought over by PaRappa the Rapper and Fat Princess. Whoever wins... we lose. Luckily for the fans, Kratos has finally come out of retirement!
At E3 2016, the trailer for a new God of War game was unveiled to the general public. It seems that Kratos' god killing rampage isn't quite over yet. In many ways, it has just begun.
Here is Every Update You Need To Know About God Of War.
15. Kratos Will Be Fighting The Norse Gods
The story of the initial God of War games followed Kratos, as he sought revenge against the gods of ancient Greece. This is because they had tricked him into murdering his wife and son. Kratos traveled to the gates of Olympus itself, in order to kill every deity who had ever crossed him. At the end of God of War III, Kratos murders Zeus and impales himself on his own Blade of Olympus. When the credits end, we see a trail of blood leading away from the Blade, which implies that Kratos survived his wounds.
God of War has finally confirmed that Kratos did indeed survive the events of God of War III. Kratos left Greece and traveled to Norway. From what we know of the game so far, Kratos will now be fighting the gods of Norse mythology. This will include the numerous supernatural races and monsters that exist within the same legends. It is likely that Kratos will be trading blows with the likes of Thor, Loki, Sif, and Odin. He will also be facing off against their monstrous servants, like the great wolf Fenrir and the mighty Midgard Serpent.
14. Kratos Has A Son Who Will Fight Alongside Him
The biggest new addition to the God of War series is Kratos' son. His name is Atreus and he was the main focus of the initial God of War trailer. Throughout the trailer, we see Kratos guiding his son, as they both go on a hunt for deer.
In gameplay terms, Atreus will play a huge role in God of War. A button will be dedicated to Atreus in combat, as he will aid his father in battle. Atreus fights with a bow that can fire lightning arrows. Kratos can order his son to fire at certain enemies or to keep minor foes off his back while he deals with the bigger monsters.
When the God of War trailer was first released, everyone assumed that Atreus was a goner. His death would make for the perfect catalyst for the story. If a Norse god killed Atreus (who would most likely be Loki in disguise), then it would give Kratos an excellent reason to kill them all. This doesn't seem to be the case, however, as Atreus is being touted as a major component of the gameplay.
13. Kratos Has Abandoned His Iconic Weapons (And Replaced Them With An Axe)
Killing a god isn't easy, as Kratos learned throughout the initial God of War series. Luckily for Kratos, there are plenty of magical swords hanging around for him to use in combat. Throughout the God of War games, Kratos was able to use several sets of chained blades, which became his most iconic weapons. He used the Blades of Athena, Artemis, Chaos, Olympus, and Exile across the seven God of War games, as well as other side weapons.
In the upcoming God of War game, Kratos will be using a new weapon. After abandoning the Blade of Olympus at the end of God of War III, Kratos has decided to go the Gimli route and has found an awesome new axe to use in combat. Kratos' axe is magical in nature and bears bright blue burning runes across its body. From the initial trailer, we can see that Kratos' axe possesses the power to freeze his enemies, as well as being able to fly back to his hand when called.
12. There Won't Be Any Multiplayer
The God of War series has primarily been focused on a single player experience. This makes sense, as the story is all about Kratos and his desire for revenge. It would be weird if a new character was introduced, just so that they could introduce a co-op mode for the series. Kratos could maybe team up with Jonah as they wreck havoc among the heavens.
God of War: Ascension was the only game to include an online multiplayer feature. Each player was forced to choose a patron deity and battle it out in numerous competitive modes. The multiplayer option was not well received, however, and was described as either being tacked on, or not living up to its full potential. This might be why the next God of War won't include any multiplayer at all. The game will focus solely on a single player experience. It is still possible that multiplayer will reappear in a later game in the series though.
11. The Infamous Minigames Won't Be Returning
One of the most infamous recurring features of the God of War series are the Kratos sex minigames. Throughout the games, Kratos will encounter topless women, with whom he can engage in lustful acts, in order to replenish his health. These minigames involve basic QTE button presses (the creator of Shenmue must be so proud), with each correct input increasing Kratos' performance. You don't get to see what is happening, as the camera shows some discretion and looks over to something else in the room.
Kratos' lovemaking minigames have long been a controversial part of the series. This is due to its blatant over-sexualization of women and the immature Austin Powers level cutaway gag involving the discretion shot. It has been confirmed that they will not appear in the next God of War game. This can be seen as a sign of the series taking a more mature direction in its approach to storytelling.
10. You Will Be Able To Fight 100 Enemies At Once
Kratos is not limited to just fighting gods in the God of War games. He is often forced to fight the armies of followers that these gods have accrued, who are all sacrificed in an attempt to slow Kratos down. Along with the mortal servants of the gods, Kratos has had to deal with the demigods and monsters that were created to protect the deities from harm.
In the upcoming God of War title, Kratos will be able to face up to a hundred foes in battle at once. This seems like an unbelievable number, especially as the game is planned to run on the basic model of the PlayStation 4. In the E3 trailer, we have only seen Kratos face off against three foes at once.
God of War has been confirmed as locked at 30 fps. This might be linked to the amount of enemies that are expected to be faced in a single encounter, as the PlayStation 4 might not be able to maintain 60 fps whilst under such stress.
9. Kratos Will Travel To The Norse Afterlife
In the E3 trailer of God of War, we see that Kratos is facing foes in the real world. In the previous games, Kratos traveled across Greece and even ventured into the supernatural realms of Olympus and Hades, in search of his divine prey.
The upcoming God of War game will follow a similar formula. Kratos will travel across Scandinavia with his son. According to the developers, Kratos will also travel to some of the nine afterlives of the Norse mythology. This means that he will almost certainly visit Asgard, as that is the domain where many of the most well-known gods (like Thor and Odin) reside. He will likely also travel to the icy realm of Hel, which is ruled over by the goddess of the same name.
While Asgard and Hel are the two most likely candidates for a Kratos massacre, there are also other heavenly realms within the Norse mythology. One such possibility is the land of Fólkvangr, which is ruled over by Freyja and carries the souls of many fallen warriors.
8. Kratos Has A New Voice Actor
Ever since the first game in the God of War series, Kratos has been voiced by Terrance C. Carson. This has even included Kratos' guest appearances in other games, like Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds, Mortal Kombat, Soulcalibur: Bonds of Destiny, and PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale. Terrane C. Carson has also appeared in other video games, such as the Saints Row series. He has also provided the voice of Mace Windu and Darth Vader in several Star Wars games.
The latest game in the God of War series will feature a new voice actor for Kratos. Terrance C. Carson will no longer be voicing the character. He has been replaced by Christopher Judge, who is best known for playing Teal'c in the Stargate TV show franchise. Christopher Judge is no stranger to video game roles, as he has voiced Turok the Dinosaur Hunter and D-Mob in the Def Jam series in the past.
7. Kratos' Son Is An Important Historical Figure
When the first God of War trailer was shown, the fans noticed that Kratos never referred to his son by a name. Whenever Kratos spoke to the child, he always called him "boy". There was a rumor going around that the kid's name was Charlie, though this would eventually be debunked. A fan discovered that a mp3 file associated with the trailer mentioned an introduction to "Kratos and Atreus". The developers confirmed the fan's discovery, and the boy's name was revealed.
Atreus is a very interesting choice of name for the character. There was a king in Greek mythology named Atreus, who was the ruler of Mycenae. The line of Atreus was said to be cursed by the gods themselves and all of its members suffered a terrible fate until Orestes finally broke the curse. Is Kratos' son intended to be the same Atreus? Will the curse of his line be linked to Kratos' actions in Greece, or will Atreus bring the blight upon his own name, due to his deeds in the game?
6. The Soundtrack Is Being Created By The Same Guy Who Scores The Walking Dead TV Show
When Sony was running its press conference at E3 2016, the whole event featured a live orchestra, which was conducted by Bear McCreary. You might not be aware of Bear McCreary's name, but you will likely have heard his work. McCreary is known for composing the soundtracks of many prominent movies and TV shows. His work includes 10 Cloverfield Lane, Battlestar Galactica, Black Sails, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, and The Walking Dead. McCreary also provided the score for Da Vinci's Demons, which won him an Emmy.
It was revealed the Bear McCreary's appearance at E3 was not just about that event. It represented his future endeavors with Sony, as McCreary is providing the score for the upcoming God of War title, which will be the latest video game soundtrack he has produced. In the past, McCreary has also created the soundtracks for Defiance, Socom 4: U. S. Navy Seals, and Assassin's Creed Syndicate: Jack the Ripper.
5. The Mystery Of Kratos' Wife
The E3 trailer for God of War dropped some intriguing hints as to the fate of Kratos' wife/Atreus' mother. Going on the discussion between the father and son in the trailer, it seems that she has passed away. The fact that Kratos knows so little about his son's training seems to suggest that they have only recently reunited and that he wasn't around for the boy's childhood.
God of War's story will answer the mystery as to the identity of Kratos' wife. The developers have confirmed that her identity will play a huge role in the story. This can go in a few different ways, though the most obvious is that she is related to the Norse gods (or is one herself), which could be the impetus for Kratos to interact with them. The identity of Atreus' parents in actual Greek mythology has no bearing towards Kratos, so there likely isn't any clue to be found there. As it stands, she could be any major figure from either Greek or Norse mythology.
4. The Game Is Inspired By A Cancelled Star Wars TV Show
One of the most unusual inspirations for God of War comes from an awesome sounding Star Wars TV show that we will never get to see.
The director of God of War is a man named Cory Barlog. He revealed in an interview that the inspiration for the upcoming God of War game came from a script that he read whilst working for LucasArts. According to Barlog, he read a script for a Star Wars TV show that would likely never make it to air. The series starred a young Emperor Palpatine, who was jilted by a woman. This broke his heart and helped to lead him down the path of the dark side of the Force.
If we take Barlog's statement at face value, does this mean that Palpatine's regretful love life also happened to Kratos? Will the story of God of War focus on a man who had his heart broken by an evil woman?
3. The Game Is Inspired By The Incredible Hulk
In the previous God of War games, the story of Kratos has always been one of revenge. As this is a series of video games, the moral implications of being consumed with revenge and mass murder will usually take a back seat to awesome action sequences.
The upcoming God of War game seems like it will be addressing the issues of Kratos' rage. A long time has passed since he waged war against the gods of Olympus. Kratos now has a son to look after, which means he cannot just drop everything he is doing in order to go fight some mythological giants.
According to the developers of the game, the version of Kratos that we saw in the previous God of War games was the Hulk, while the older version of Kratos will be like Bruce Banner. Kratos must now learn to control the anger that served him in battle in the past, as he cannot allow his rage to risk harming the one part of his family that still remains.
2. No Release Date Has Been Provided Yet
The majority of the information that has been released about God of War has come from the initial E3 trailer and a few scant interviews that have been given since. God of War was totally absent from the PlayStation Experience event that was held in December of 2016, even though other games that are far from release (like Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite and The Last of Us Part II) were shown.
As it currently stands, God of War is unlikely to see a 2017 release, barring a shock announcement at E3. If it is released this year, then it will likely be held back for the Christmas season. Sony has been coy about the game's progress, which might be tied into some persistent rumors about changes within the industry. There has been speculation about video game developers taking a step back from giving release dates when the game is over a year away from being shipped. This is said to be a reaction to the negative feedback that games like No Man's Sky and Final Fantasy XV received when they had last minute delays.
1. This Game Will Start A New Series Of God Of War Titles
Kratos' adventures in Scandinavia won't be finished in a single game. It took three main God of War games (and four spinoffs) for Kratos to be finished with the Greek gods. The Norse gods and their servants won't go down so easily. God of War's director, Cory Balrog, has confirmed that the series will continue on after this game.
When God of War III ended, most fans believed that Kratos was done and the series had finished. With Kratos now facing an entirely new pantheon of gods and monsters, it seems that his adventures won't be ending anytime soon. The fact that other mythologies exist has opened the series up to numerous new places. After Odin has fallen and Asgard has been burnt to the ground, there will be new gods for Kratos to slay. Will we see Kratos fighting Sun Wukong among the clouds? Can Kratos defeat Krishna in a big Hindu god Royal Rumble match? Surely the gods of ancient Egypt cannot be far behind?
The God of War series has been opened up to the world, which means that we will experience many more of Kratos' adventures in the years to come.
---